Near Chippenham, Wiltshire
If you've watched any of the most well-loved costume dramas made over the last few decades such as Downton Abbey, or a Harry Potter film, then you will have seen Lacock Village. The village is a firm favourite with film and television drama crews and makes an appearance in a major production at least once every couple of years. Almost entirely owned by the National Trust, the village's pretty streets of timber-framed cottages have barely changed in 300 years.
The fact that modern life has barely crept in, outwardly at least, means there's not much in the way of 21st-century life to cover up or remove. Crews don't have to worry about satellite dishes, telegraph poles or traffic lights. As a popular tourist spot filming only happens outside school holidays and other busy times. When it does, it's never small scale.
Visit and experience Lacock Abbey where medieval rooms and cloister court give a sense of the Abbey's monastic past. Like Hogwarts, Lacock Abbey was built with a blend of quirky architectural styles. This former nunnery is a fascinating site, plus close by is the Fox Talbot Museum, that records the achievements of former Lacock resident William Henry Fox Talbot, a big name in the invention of photography.
Start your trip to Lacock with a pause at the window of the old shop at 2 High Street. In the late 19th-century the building was used as a coffee tavern, then after the First World War it became a stationers and in 1966, incorporated the Post Office. It remained in the same family until it closed in the early 1980's. Miss Butler, the last resident, arranged the shop window in the style of early twentieth century displays and it has been untouched ever since.
Extend your trip with a luxury stay in Cliveden House, now a stately home turned five-star hotel. Steeped in over 350 years of history, the rooms and suites are beautifully decorated in regal style. The hotel offers hot tub rooms, Mansion House rooms and a separate Spring Cottage sleeping up to six. Looking for a romantic daytime activity? Hop into a boat and row serenely across the lake, while tucking into a picnic basket or sipping champagne, and from there you can join a guided tour.
Pictured left: Downton Abbey (2019) Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith) Harry Hadden-Paton (Bertie Pelham) and Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary) between takes; Downton Abbey's Crawley family enjoying the livestock market. Pictured above: The French Dining Room, Cliveden House; Sherlock Holmes and a pillow; Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in character as Holmes and Watson.